TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced today the 14 grant recipients of the Rural Champions program’s second cohort. The selected Rural Champions will join a growing statewide network of grassroots individuals tackling critical projects in their respective rural communities.
“Since day one, my administration has been focused on the needs of our rural communities and the quality of life in every region of the state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Creating the Office of Rural Prosperity was only the beginning of our support for rural Kansans and their needs. By developing the Rural Champions program, we are assisting communities to find local solutions to specific local challenges.”
Inspired by a Kansas Sampler Foundation report, the Office of Rural Prosperity, in collaboration with the Patterson Family Foundation, created the Rural Champions program as a way for rural communities to move the needle in areas where a lack of capital or other resources hinders necessary progress. The Rural Champions program provides a one-year wage stipend of $20,800 to each community, along with training and resources. Communities also will receive up to $25,000 at the end of the year to move into the implementation phase of their projects.
“The diverse challenges rural communities face are much easier to resolve when you have an individual specifically dedicated to their particular issues, which is why the innovative Rural Champions program is so important,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Investing in our rural communities means investing in our people, which benefits the entire state and elevates their towns in ways that might otherwise not be possible.”
The 2024-25 Rural Champions include:
| Organization | Community | Project area(s) |
| Cardinal Community Foundation | Nemaha County | Community/Economic Development |
| Cheyenne Community Development Corporation | Cheyenne | Housing |
| City of Herington and CVB | Herington | Downtown Revitalization |
| Comanche County Economic Development | Comanche County | Grant Writing/ ED Regionalization |
| Grinnell-Promoting Pride & Progress | Grinnell | Downtown Revitalization |
| Harvey County United Way | Harvey County | Childcare |
| Healthy Bourbon County Action Team | Bronson | Placemaking/ Recreation |
| Hodgeman County Economic Development | Hodgeman County | Housing |
| Lane County Community Foundation | Dighton | Food Access-Rural Grocery |
| Legacy Regional Community Foundation | Cowley County | Food Access |
| Rooks County Healthcare Foundation | Rooks County | Workforce Recruitment |
| Stafford County Economic Development | Stafford County | Childcare |
| The Building Community | Fredonia | Community/Economic Development |
| United Way of the Flint Hills | Emporia | Homelessness |
“The first round of Rural Champions provided a great opportunity for progress and impact in the communities and organization. We again received many outstanding applications — making the selection of these 14 projects very competitive,” Director of the Office of Rural Prosperity Trisha Purdon said. “We are excited to continue the development of the program and add to our network of learning with the new group of Rural Champions.”
Rural Champions will work with the Office of Rural Prosperity through project completion. At that time, information will again be compiled in the form of guidebooks to add to the library of projects and be made available to provide learning and support to additional communities.
More information on the Rural Champions program is available here. The guidebooks developed by the first cohort of Champions are available to review here.
